How to Avoid an Attack

The simple answer to this is "Stay on the beach." There is a lot of speculation
out there about when and where you're most likely to be attacked. Most
of it is just plain bullshit. There does not appear to be any pattern as
to time of day, visibility conditions, or any of the other typical factors
people worry about. What it really comes down to is that there really aren't
enough data to make a good analysis of when and where they'll attack a
person.

Sharks in the Kelp

One major fallacy that tends to persist is that white sharks don't enter
the kelp forest, so that if you stay in the kelp, you're safe. Most of
the actual sightings that I know of have taken place IN the kelp. In 1992,
a large white shark was seen actually attacking a sea otter inside a kelp
forest. Get real. The kelp is not an impediment to such animals. I've seen
WHALES in the kelp. Surely a shark half that size would have no problem.

Surface Swimming

Another is that the sharks usually attack people on the surface. While
it is known that white sharks hunt marine mammals by ambushing them from
below, many of these attacks happen while the prey animal is submerged.
Besides, it is known that white sharks also attack prey, especially fish
and squid, on the bottom. Gut content analysis has turned up a number of
species that live only near the substrate.
This is not to say that being on or near the surface doesn't increase
your risk. White sharks do hunt by swimming near the bottom, looking up
to profile prey against the surface. Swimming on the surface or mid-water
is putting youself in their favored feeding zone. Just don't kid yourself
into believing that being near the bottom will prevent you from being attacked.
And don't let a fear of sharks scare you into cutting a decompression or
safety stop short. Certainly if you have reason to believe that a shark
is nearby (like, you just saw it or a dead seal hemoraging from a massive
bite wound) you should balance the risks. At any other time you're much
more likely to suffer a decompression injury than a shark bite.

White Sharks and Seals/Sea
Lions

There's also a lot of misunderstanding about the "seal" factor. I've
heard both points of view: "Sharks eat seals, so don't dive near seals",
and "The seals know when the sharks are around, so if they are in the water,
it's safe". Let's take the second argument first, since it's the one that's
most obviously a load of BS. If the seals always knew when to get out of
the area, the sharks would starve to death, or at least never eat seals.

You're swimming all alone on a cloudy afternoon.
You turn towards shore and see that you've gone a little farther out than
you wanted to. That's when you start to think about what might be swimming
with you. You start the trip back to land and try not to think about the
mouth or the teeth or the fin slicing the water's surface behind you .
. .